Fruits

Michigan blueberry farmer struggles to find enough pickers

Antonio Leduc doesn’t understand why Michigan is offering emergency housing assistance to migrant farm workers this summer.He has plenty of work available picking blueberries at his farm in Paw Paw, yet the state is offering... more »

Biotech apples seek approval

The U.S. government is now seeking public input on Arctic Golden and Arctic Granny apples, two non-browning varieties that have been produced through biotechnology by Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc. (OSF), based in British Columbia, Canada.USDA’s... more »

New label helps Michigan blueberry growers fight SWD

On July 10, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Resource Development released a Section 18 label for Gowan’s Malathion 8F for use against spotted wing drosophila in blueberries.The label provides a use rate up to... more »

Stabenow pushes House to pass farm bill

The U.S. Senate passed its version of the 2012 Farm Bill last month. Now, it’s up to the House of Representatives. Hopefully, House leaders will overcome the “partisan posturing” of an election year and do... more »

Fewer cherry farms in Michigan

There were 450 Michigan farms growing tart cherries in 2011, down from 540 in 2006 and 615 in 2000, according to recent reports from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.Despite the shrinking number of farms, the... more »

Feds OK help for fruit growers hammered by weather

The federal government Monday declared Michigan a disaster area because of damage to fruit crops from erratic spring weather, making growers eligible to seek low-interest loans.Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, said USDA had granted... more »

New York apple crop takes a significant hit

Ken Nice has been growing fruit for 50 years and he’s never seen such bare branches on his apple trees during the growing season.“There are some trees with nothing on them,” said Nice, a Knowlesville... more »

Caring for trees in a no/low crop season

Trees that aren’t producing a harvestable crop this season still need care and maintenance. Disease Growers need to protect their trees against fire blight and be on the lookout for anything else that might damage... more »